This invention pertains to packaging of products in a package having a generally enclosing plastic member secured to a substrate member. In a first typical such package generally known as a blister package or blister card, the substrate member comprises a paperboard blister card, and the enclosing plastic member is a product-holding blister member, secured to the blister card. In a second typical such package, generally known as a frequency welded package, both the enclosing plastic member and the substrate member comprise molded plastic product-holding blister members.
In the packaging industry, especially as related to blister and related type packaging, it is desirable to have a package that may be readily opened by a consumer without destroying the packaging materials or without so degrading the packaging materials as to render the package ineffective for further use in containing and/or protecting unused portions of the product. Further, it is desirable to be able to easily open the package without so damaging the enclosing plastic member as to render it ineffective for further packaging use.
Because packages of interest (e.g. blister packaging or frequency welded packaging) may contain multiple units of product (e.g. batteries), it is also desirable to enable the consumer to open the package in such a way as to gain access to successively available units of product while retaining and protecting in the package any units of product not concurrently removed.
It is an object of this invention to provide novel packages which enable a consumer to readily access a product or products contained in the package while maintaining substantial containment and protective capabilities of the package.
It is a further object of this invention to provide packages which hold multiple units of product and which enable the consumer to progressively gain access to successively available units of the product.
It yet another object of this invention to provide packages which may be reclosed by the consumer to secure remaining units of product in the package.
It is still another object to provide packaging wherein the package can readily be progressively opened.
It is another object to provide packaging which includes a plastic member having a product-holding cavity, the plastic member being fixedly bonded to a substrate at a bond line, the packaging including a gap in the fixed bonding at a tear strip which crosses the bond line.